


o ye fateful laundromats

by sapphire_scorpion



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Crack, Fluff, Laundromat!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 06:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17157356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphire_scorpion/pseuds/sapphire_scorpion
Summary: an encounter with someone at a laundromat... how much more dramatic can this be?





	o ye fateful laundromats

Rain.

Pitter-pattering against the roof, racing against each other on the window, conducting a symphony of their own.

Though it was one that you really could not admire - not at this time. 

You sighed. ‘Where can all the Christmas spirit go now?’, you thought bitterly.

Flushed down the drain.

Now, however, wasn’t a time to mope over the lost Christmas. You looked over to the left of your balcony, slippery and wet, battered down by the persistent rain. Barely holding back another sigh, you then shifted your gaze up to the equally wrecked clothes hanging pathetically on the racks outside, and sighed anyway. 

Looks like it was time for you to hit up the nearest laundromat.

Tugging your hair up into a hasty bun, you immediately launched yourself into a set of procedures: clothes-collecting, bag-stuffing, bag-tying - check, check, and check. 3 big bags of laundry in hand, you marched towards the nearest laundry-room, struggling every step of the way. The rain still hadn’t relented, nor taken pity on you dashing across the street, already drenched. (you had the choice to bring an umbrella, but you were just lazy)

So that was how you ended up in the laundromat with hair matted down, clothes soaking wet and shoes squelching in rainwater, all bright in complement to the laundromat’s washed-down walls, lint-covered ground, and creaking machines. The only pair of washing machine and dryer this laundromat had, being home-operated.

Another set of procedures commenced: insert money, retrieve token, insert money, retrieve token, insert money, retrieve token – why can’t these machines collect all the notes then dispense all the tokens at once again? 

Jamming 7 tokens into the washing machine, you then crouched down to empty one laundry bag into the machine, pressing the ‘start’ button after emptying a vial of store-bought detergent into its clutch.

* * *

 

30 minutes later, you reluctantly dragged yourself to transfer the load from the dryer to the washing machine, silently willing the supposedly happy chime of the washing machine to shut up. Man, that aromatherapy detergent was indeed a scam. Insert money, retrieve token, insert money, retrieve token, insert money – ugh, they really do have to fix this – retrieve token, insert money, retrieve token, insert money, retrieve token. Jam into machine, press the button. Wait.

* * *

 

Take load out of dryer just to find out that some aren’t dry enough. Grab a basket and chuck all said clothing in. Inspect more clothes. Find more damp. Cast back into dryer. Throw the other load into the other washing machine.

Repeat procedure for 3 loads. Hate your life. 

And just when you were about to set yourself into another game of mindless word searches to pass the time, a blonde man with gentle wavy locks, slender fingers, and a trendy (laundry?) bag approached you. You blanked out. 

“- noticed that you only have half a load left, so could we share a washing machine? I only have a few to wash too and I don’t really want to wait”

“What?” you stuttered, finally snapping out of your reverie, “Oh, uh, sure! No problem.”

“Oh really? Thanks so much”

“Yeah, life’s hard when it’s Christmas and we’ve still got to resolve ourselves to be stuck here. I feel the same.” You mumbled, snorting under your breath.

As he then emptied his load alongside your last, the both of you slipped into a loose silence, with him humming under his breath and you resuming your word search adventures.

* * *

 

“here, you couldn’t possibly reject my offer to fold these clothes in return of your gracious -OH GOODNESS IS THAT MY WHITE BLOUSE STAINED? THAT’S MY FAVOURITE!”

“What- “you blurted, but in that moment a splash of water on your shin grabbed your attention. You looked up. 

Jeonghan, the man whose name you came to find out later, continued stressing in the background. Time slowed. 

Really? 

Seriously? 

Are you for real?

Of all the times this god-forsaken laundromat could break down, of course it had to be now. When the rain was ruthless, you were shivering and miserable, and worst, when there was wailing music playing in the background. In all its crescendo glory.

Why.

You concealed the urge to pummel Jeonghan through your clenched fists. The laundromat manager was the real headache here - known to be petty, fault-finding, cranky and a grump in general, there was no way you were going to be the one talking to the manager. 

But you were also only left with one other scapegoat in that case. Jeonghan. You took a deep breath, then plastered the sweetest, most sickening smile onto your face.

“Dear sir, in case you haven’t realised, there’s something more URGENT here that demands your attention,” your smile collapsing, “THE CEILING IS LEAKING AND THE LAUNDROMAT MANAGER IS HORRIBLY PETTY. I’M DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO SUBJECT MYSELF TO SUCH TORTURE SO COULD YOU JUST PLEASE SHUT UP AND DEAL WITH HER.”

Jeonghan, dazed, then ran his hand through his hair. 

“Tsk”, Jeonghan rolled his eyes, stress written all over his face through wrinkled foreheads and knitted brows.

“I’m not doing it.”

“What do you mean you’re not doing it,” you deadpanned.

“I’m not doing it,” he shrugged, “I know it was the risk I took for asking to share the washing machine, but I’ve also offered to fold your clothes for you. We’re even. I don’t see the need for me to do you another favour.”

You rolled your eyes back at him.

“Look, the moment the owner comes down here and finds us both stuck here with her ceiling dripping- WAIT SHE ACTUALLY IS COMING” you shrieked, then grabbed your bags of clothes and started running. You didn’t know how you ended up holding Jeonghan’s hand, and neither did he. 

The next thing the both of you knew, was panting together under the lamppost a sharp turn away from the laundromat. The rain had stopped, leaving the night cool and misty, the road illuminated dimly only by the lamp above you and another 100m away. You couldn’t resist the chuckle that escaped your lips.

“Sorry for being a dick just now,” Jeonghan chortled, the silliness of it all finally sinking in 5 buildings away from the laundromat, “was just stressed over my whites- no, pinks.”

“But hey, since we’ve already gone through so much in such a short time, let’s get to know each other better.”

“Coffee? I know a café that opens until the wee hours of the day,” you replied.

“Sure, just let me help you with those laundry bags,” Jeonghan laughed, bells chiming through the silence of the night, “How did you even survive? Do you even have any clothes left?” he teased, nudging you slightly as the both of you made your way to the coffeeshop.

“Well…I guess some things are better left to one’s imagination,” you winked, pushing open the door.

**Author's Note:**

> um yes this was written for sss 2018 once again! hope y'all enjoyed reading it; lmk in the comments or just leave kudos!! merry christmas everyone :)


End file.
